WSU HARBOR

Weber State University, HARBOR

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the typical one-day flight schedule?
A: Typical flight day schedule for stratospheric flights when based in Ogden:

5:00 a.m. Meet at WSU in the loading dock area parking lot west of the Science Lab
5:30 a.m. Leave WSU for Duchesne Airport, Rydman Flight Center
6:45 a.m. Break at Heber
8:15 a.m. Approximate arrival at Duchesne Airport, Rydman Flight Center
9:30 a.m. Target Launch Time! 
11:15 a.m. Guessed at burst time.
12:00 p.m. Estimated landing
12:30 p.m. Team lunch and flight discussion
8:00 p.m. Estimated return time to be back at WSU


Q: What is the typical flight day schedule during Flight Week (aka "the Balloon Bonanza")?
A: Typical flight day schedule for stratospheric flights when based in the field:

6:00 a.m. Make your own breakfast.
6:45 a.m. Leave the campground for Duchesne Airport, Rydman Flight Center
7:00 a.m. Approximate arrival at Duchesne Airport, Rydman Flight Center
9:00 a.m. Target Launch Time! 
10:30 a.m. Guessed at burst time
11:15 p.m. Estimated landing with a hopefully quick recovery
12:30 p.m. Team lunch and flight discussion
3:00 p.m. Estimated return time the airport and/or campground followed by equipment repair and data analysis


Q: I'm just "general public" can I participate in a flight?
A: We love to have visitors. In general you will be allowed to see how flight operations work and we will put you to work doing things like "balloon worshipping" where you assist in keeping the filling balloon safe from damage. We'll also have you help with holding equipment during preflight checks and launch prep. We do ask that you be patient as we are almost always busy.
For liability reasons, you will not be allowed to join us in the field during "chase" operations. Also, you agree by helping out at the launch site that you are prepared to accept all personal liability.


Q: What is the purpose of HARBOR and what do you do with all the data?
A: The HARBOR program is primarily for teaching undergraduates and high school students how to work in a teamwork environment on a mission-oriented project. We run HARBOR like a NASA program so that students can gain real world experience.
The data are used to help improve future flights and also to better understand our atmosphere. We often join up with other groups such as the University of Utah, Utah State University, The Utah Department of Environmental Quality Division of Air Quality, Brigham Young University, NOAA, NASA, etc. By combining our data with others we can help contribute to a better understanding of the air we all live in and rely upon.

All our flight data are online and open to the public. For many reasons, our flight and ground images are available only an a "on request" basis.